Using Amazon Shorts to promote your book

Electronic books, or e-books, haven’t gotten much traction with consumers. People don’t enjoy reading extended passages of text on a computer screens, and there’s no popular e-book reader devices yet. Prices of e-books haven’t been discounted much from the price of hard-copy books, giving price-conscious consumers little incentive to switch.

In the meantime, though, free and low-cost e-books and downloadable excerpts are a valuable as a way of generating more awareness for your book. Amazon Shorts are a potential vehicle for authors who want to publicize new books or promote previous works. Each Short is available only on Amazon, costs 49 cents, and can be downloaded immediately in plain text or printed or viewed as a PDF document.

For example, historian David McCullough used an Amazon Short to help promote his 2006 hardcover 1776. His Short was the 1,700-word essay “Faces,” an interesting sidebar that never made its way into the book. The Short was launched just before the hardcover became available, calling more attention to it and McCullough’s long list of previous works. You can view the detail page for McCullough’s Amazon Short by searching Amazon for B000GFRBEM, the story’s ASIN.

At the bottom of Amazon Shorts appears a short author biography and photograph, and below that are links to other full-length works available for purchase on Amazon. So Amazon Shorts is inexpensive way for readers to discover new authors. The low price encourages readers experimentation and impulse buying.

Other authors have used Shorts to serialize works, or to update readers on new stories or create an entirely new story about a popular character.

Some nonfiction authors have used Shorts to generate new customers for consulting services or seminars. In one longtime bestselling Short, Why Authors Are Cranky (ASIN B000A0F6FO), author Bruce Holland Rogers promotes his own Web site, where readers can pay $10 for an annual subscription to his new short stories delivered via e-mail. The Web link in Rogers’ Amazon Short is live, so interested readers can jump right to his site, ShortShortShort.com.

Steve Weber is author of Plug Your Book!: Online Book Marketing for Authors.

Comments: 13

Laura Serena aka AstroGirl May 22, 2007, 12:45pm EDT

I was under the impression that Amazon Shorts, with the exception of the contest here, publishes only authors who are already published elsewhere. Is that not true?

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Steve Weber May 22, 2007, 12:53pm EDT

AstroGirl,

Generally, you need to have at least one book for sale on Amazon to be eligible to submit a Short. However, authors, agents and editors who technically don't meet that requirement can inquire at amazon-shorts@amazon.com.

Here's the FAQ.

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Monica Kennedy Jun 3, 2007, 4:08am EDT

Great advice! I am featuring this on The Write Connections homepage. Thanks for sharing.

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Monica Kennedy Jun 3, 2007, 4:50am EDT

This article is being featured in What Every New Gather-er (and a Few Old Ones Too) Should Know About Gathering Thanks for great content!

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Patricia Bruening Jun 22, 2007, 10:16am EDT

This is a very informative article. I really enjoyoed it and learned soemthing new! I have two novels being released this eyar from two different publishers and quite frankly the idea of promoting is dautning. I'm clueless. This article will help immensely. Thank you!

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Jennifer R. Jul 16, 2007, 6:09pm EDT

Thanks I will definitely look into when I finally get to that point.

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Dave J. Jul 24, 2007, 1:15pm EDT

Thanks for the information!! It is much appreciated!

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norma T. Aug 10, 2007, 8:40pm EDT

All good stuff.

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Roberto Carlos M. Aug 12, 2007, 1:14pm EDT

I think it is a great way to promote. I also like the fact that if you get tired of looking at the screen, you can always print it and read it over a cup of tea. My Amazon Short, "The Glass Angel," has been accepted and should be up within a month.

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